Blood on my Name
by A-J-aria
Summary: When a ghost from Kaname's past quite literally starts to haunt him and destroy that which he's worked years to build, it is up to Zero to keep it all from coming apart before the darkness which follows the pureblood consumes them all. Kaname/Zero


_**Disclaimer:**_ **I do not own Vampire Knight or any of its characters. This work is un-betaed, and therefore any and all mistakes are mine and mine alone.**

 _Prologue_

"How is he?" A figure asked, cloaked in the shadows of the crypt in which they were gathered. The moon was full tonight, its light streaming in through the open stone archway and yet stopping just before the feet of the two figures, as if the darkness in this crypt was too much for even the light of the moon to breach.

"He has neither breath nor pulse," a second figure replied from where he had been silently observing from the shadows, "but he's alive. Even after all this time."

The two circled around the marbled coffin at the end of the corridor. One clawed hand slowly and languidly reached out and scraped his nails along its smooth, white surface, the screech it made echoing within the stone walls. The tomb was grand, the coffin itself a show of the wealth of the family to which this crypt was dedicated.

The coffin was empty, of course. Vampires did not last long once their hearts stopped beating, but the memorial and tradition remained the same regardless.

Although, the dark-haired man supposed, this particular vampire was a unique case indeed.

"Marvelous creatures, you purebloods," the blonde spoke, "Over ten years with no heart and no body, and still _alive_." Green eyes gazed down at the coffin with a mix of envy and admiration before being replaced by an immaculate mask once more as he turned to address the other. " _He_ does not suspect anything, does he?"

The vampire retracted his hand from the coffin, claws scraping against the marble as he did so. He moved towards the entrance of the crypt, turning away from the blonde as he contemplated on the answer. "Kuran Kaname? He is suspicious of everything – particularly when it comes to you and I." A slow grin appeared on his face, revealing two sharp fangs. "But this? No, even one such as he will not see this coming." Moon shined down on him, casting the brunette man in a soft, ethereal glow, as if he himself were but a trick of the light.

"Then, shall we begin?"

The brunette turned to face the other man. Light streamed into the crypt just enough to reveal a pair of mismatched eyes that all but shined within this darkness. "Of course," he said, a cruel smile twisting his features as his eyes turned red, "it has been far too long since I've last seen my nephew, after all."

 _-.-.-.-_

 _Several Weeks Later_

 _-.-.-.-_

Kiryuu Zero sat on the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his knees as he hunched over. His head was bent low and hands were buried in his hair, holding on with a white-knuckled grip as if it were the only thing keeping him tethered to this world.

"I hate this," he hissed, turning his head to the pureblood who was nonchalantly buttoning up his silk shirt. It only served to irk the hunter more to watch him, so he turned his back to him once more and stared fixedly at the plain white wall before him.

"You wouldn't feel the effects of my blood so strongly if you didn't try to go so long without it." Because, yet again, Kuran Kaname found himself having to seek out the hunter and all but forcing him to feed from him before the ex-human lost all sense of control. It was getting to be tiresome for him. After all, the vampire had much more important things to do than to make sure the hunter stayed off of his path of destructiveness and self-hatred.

"It's not _that_ ," Zero retorted. Well, it was that. Partially. The hunter could feel the pureblood's blood flowing through his veins. It made him want to trace the path of them down his arms and rip them out, his own skin felt so alien to him after their feeding. He _hated_ it. The feeling of the pure blood flowing through his veins made him physically ill, as if he could feel Kuran's blood making him even less human than he already was. But more than that... "I can _feel_ you, Kuran," he all but spat, his hand unconsciously going to rub at his neck. Even though Kaname had never actually bitten him before, the spot on his neck opposite his tattoo was where he felt that _thing_ the strongest.

"You mean the bond, I presume? It is nothing to worry about," Kaname replied smoothly, waving off the hunter's concern. The words were only partially true, but Zero did not have to know that. After all, the pureblood was trying to get the stubborn prefect to drink from him _more_ – not stop drinking altogether. "It's barely half-formed, hardly anything to lose sleep over and easy enough to get rid of." That part, at least was true.

Although, Zero had his doubts. After all, he could feel how the bond grew over the previous feedings, making him increasingly aware of the brunette across from him which only served to both irritate him and make him more reluctant to feed, consequences be damned. The last thing he wanted in his life was to be tied to Kuran Kaname of all people.

And yet, here he was. An ex-human and hunter, feeding from a pureblood vampire. His neck ached with the need to complete the half-formed bond and his hands tingled at the two's former proximity just moments ago. The rational part of his mind was in a panic, automatically recognizing this dangerous path he was walking down. The other half though? The other half was just glad to have had a taste of the blood it craved so much. And not just because it was pure blood.

Zero studiously ignored the latter part of mind, locking away those feelings and sensations for a time in which he could brood on them in privacy. Pushing himself off of the bed, the silverette stood to face Kaname fully for the first time since he drank from him. "Are we done here?" He hissed, his head gesturing to the window near the bed. The _'Get out'_ message was clearly received.

"I'm hurt, Kiryuu-kun. You won't even show your own guest to the door?" The brunette spoke, feigning hurt.

"You're not a _guest_ , Kuran." He was a _leech_ , and Zero wanted him out of his room. "I don't recall ever inviting you in." And wasn't that a thing with vampires (and common courtesy, in general)? That one needed to be invited in before actually coming inside? The brunette must have missed the memo.

"You've made your point," Kaname assented, heading towards the open window on the side of the room. He had no intention of leaving through the front door in the first place, lest someone should see him. Now _that_ would surely have both the Day Class and Night Class talking. And Kaname would be having none of that. He had only said as much to watch the utter annoyance and agitation light the hunter's fiery eyes. Getting under the hunter's skin was quickly becoming one of his favorite pastimes. With one foot on the windowsill, the brunette turned back to face the silver-haired prefect once more. "But, before I go.."

" _What,"_ Zero hissed. _Just fucking leave already._ Although the pureblood's next words did have the hunter blinking in surprise.

"Do be careful on your mission tonight."

"Worried, Kuran? How nice of you," Zero replied sardonically. "How did you even – "

"Know?" The pureblod finished for him, smirking at the irritated look that crossed the prefect's features at being interrupted. "I know everything that happens around here. This _is_ my school, after all." Technically speaking, it was Kaien Cross's, but everyone knew Kaname had just as much a hand in Cross Academy as the ex-hunter himself did. It was only through the pureblood's efforts that the Night Class had formed at all. As a result, Kaname knew all the goings-on that happened both on school grounds and off of it. Including the actions of one reckless and self-destructive Level D. "Do try not to get yourself killed for once," he repeated. "I would hate to have to feed you twice in one night."

Zero opened his mouth to make a snarky remark of some kind, but within the next moment, the vampire was gone, the rustling of his curtains the only indication that he had been there at all.

"Fucking vampires," the hunter muttered to himself as he closed his window shut with a slam.

-.-.-.-

The night was cold, the air biting with the chill of the coming winter as Zero Kiryuu walked down the moonlit streets. It was fairly bright out despite the time of night for the moon was nearly full and there was not a cloud in the sky to obscure its light.

The hunter ignored the cold that nipped his skin and tinged his ears and nose pink. He could hardly feel it through the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He had been sent to go after a single E who had been sighted in town over the past several days. Luckily, there had been no reports of missing persons or attacks which likely meant the E had yet to kill anyone. The hunter was glad for that, that he would be able to put the E out of its misery before it dragged any innocent victims with it. Rarely was that ever the case.

Zero's head snapped up as his hunter senses alerted him to a vampire presence nearby. He looked to the side where the moon shone upon the large metal gate that stood tall before him. Apparently, the E had chosen to take refuge in the local cemetery, silhouettes of hills and trees just ahead. _How cliché,_ the silverette thought with a grimace as he hauled himself over the gate, landing swiftly and silently on his feet. His hands clenched Bloody Rose tightly, switching off the safety, as he made his way between the graves, eyes scanning the darkness for the creature he knew was lurking within.

Following his senses, it was only minutes before lavender eyes landed upon a shadow up against a large willow tree. Immediately his gun was aimed for the vampire's head, ready to shoot as he came around to face it. His finger was on the trigger about to fire without hesitation. That was until he realized that there was not one figure, but _two_. The second one held limply in the arms of the first.

The strong smell of blood hit the hunter's nostrils all too suddenly as the vampire retracted its fangs from its victim. In the back of his mind Zero was grudgingly grateful for Kaname having fed him earlier as he did not even react to the strong scent. Because, _good god_ there was so much blood.

"Put. Her. Down," Zero hissed between clenched teeth, his gun pointed unwaveringly on the vampire. There was no point, really, for Zero could tell the girl was already dead. _Dammit_ , he cursed inwardly. This was exactly what he sought to prevent, and yet here he was, helpless to save yet another.

The E, however, surprisingly seemed to heed his words, as it appeared to almost _gently_ set the poor girl down upon the ground so that she was leaning up against the bark of the tree. The hunter watched him down the barrel of his gun, scrutinizing the seemingly crazed vampire pushing aside a lock of the girl's hair and pressing a soft kiss onto her forehead before turning to Zero.

" _Do it_ ," it hissed between fanged teeth, and lilac eyes looked up to meet soft, sad blue ones. The red of mad bloodlust having faded after having just fed.

These types of E's were the worst to hunt down in Zero's opinion. With a full belly and a temporarily sated bloodlust, they were usually fairly lucid and much stronger which only made the hunter's job that much harder. After all, it was easier to see a crazed Level E for the monster it became and not the human it once was. But this? This was hard. As blue eyes gazed over at him, Zero found himself hesitant to do what he knew needed to be done. This man, whoever he was could not leave this cemetery alive after having killed an innocent human. But knowing that didn't make it any easier.

"I said," the vampire hissed, eyes tinging red with anger, pain and frustration, "I _said_ just do it already!" It – _he_ stepped forward, blue eyes glazing with tears, just sane and lucid enough to know what he had just done. And as he stepped out from the shadow of the tree and into the light of the moon..

"Oh _God,_ " Zero's grip on Bloody Rose loosened, falling limply to the side as he looked helplessly at the vampire before him. This E... _Shit._ He was a Day Class student. Zero _knew_ him, he was in the silverette's own homeroom, in fact. "Masashi," Zero said breathlessly as if he had just been punched in the chest.

Yuya Masashi had been in the prefect's homeroom since freshman year. The ex-human had literally seen the guy not even two days ago, sitting at the front of class as always, talking excitedly about how he was going to visit his family at the end of the week and.. _Shit_. Zero realized too little too late that Masashi had likely never intended to visit his parents in the first place. More likely than not, the guy had come to the cemetery to _die_ tonight.

"Zero-kun?" The auburn-haired teen asked across from him, making Zero focus on the clear blue eyes before him. So _human._ Oh _God.._ What was he going to tell Cross? Hell, what was he even going to do now? "Why are you here?" The boy asked before shaking his head. "No, never mind. I know why you're here. You're here for _me_ , aren't you?"

Zero nodded back numbly. There were a million questions running through his head and yet none of them could come out.

"That's one hell of a part-time job," the teen attempted to joke, but it fell flat what with the current situation, and Zero was too shaken to react much.

"Yeah," Zero whispered hollowly, the grip on his gun tightening in frustration. _Dammit_ , he wanted to punch something, break something, _anything_. Because this? This just wasn't _fair_.

Masashi laughed, a humorless, broken sound escaping his lips. "To be honest, I always wondered what was the point of you prefects, you and Yuuki-san. Always thought you guys were weird as hell," he paused, inhaling a shaky breath. "I guess I know now... Zero-kun, I- I – oh god, what have I done?" The teen's hands ran through his hair as he sank to the ground, next to the girl who lay limply against the willow's bark.

"Yuya," Zero paused as he moved to reach out to his classmate. The first name sounded foreign on his tongue, despite how Yuya always insisted he call him by it. He told everyone that. That was just the kind of person he was. Or so, Hana-san, Masashi's girlfriend, would tell every – ..

The hunter's line of thought was interrupted as a sudden revelation hit him and he stumbled back. His eyes flicked towards the young girl against the tree, eyes dimmed and head lolling to the side as her blood soaked the soft grass below her. Sure enough, Hana lay before him, still in her Day Class uniform as if she had just gotten out of class for the day.

Though he knew it was a fruitless effort, Zero still sunk to his knees before her, slim fingers reaching out to hold her wrist and check for a pulse he knew he would not find.

His eyes closed softly as he released her hand and rest it gently on her side as if not wanting to disturb her from her rest. All of a sudden, the image of what had occurred here became all too clear. The prefect wondered how long ago Masashi had been turned, how long his girlfriend had been feeding him and keeping him sane.

Then, he wondered when it all started to go downhill, so much so that Masashi ran away before he could harm the one he cared most for any more than he already had. A feeling the silverette knew all too well.

It was easy to figure out the rest. The image of the concerned Hana following after her boyfriend into the cemetery, worried for him. And then Masashi, so close to falling to Level E and unable to resist the temptation before him.

Zero willed the images out of his mind to no avail, knowing that this would plague his nightmares for the several nights to come. And the hardest part had yet to happen yet. He reached a hand out over to Hana's face as he gently closed her eyes shut.

Pale fingers shakily hovered over closed lids, and if it weren't for all of the blood staining her neck and clothes, Zero would have thought her asleep. "I'm sorry," he whispered to her softly, voice strained and broken before he turned to face Yuya who was kneeling on the grass, hands clutched at his head as he began to cry softly.

"Yuya," Zero said the auburn-haired teen's name as he stood up and lay a hand gently on his shoulder. Slowly, Yuya looked up at the hunter, eyes in agony as the red slowly seeped back into his eyes. It would be any moment now, Zero knew, before the bloodlust would take him once again. But hopefully.. "There's still something we can do," he said quickly as his mind raced a thousand miles a minute, desperately searching for a way to make this situation not as hopeless as it seemed in that moment.

"We can get help. The Night Class President, he can help," the hunter couldn't believe his own words, but despite his personal feelings for the pureblood, he knew that this was their best option. Kaname, arrogant and selfish bastard that he was, was also a pacifist and would _not_ stand for any harm or danger that had come to a Day Class student, that much Zero knew to be true. He had been witness to it many times. Not just with how fiercely protective the pureblood was over Yuuki, but how he would send his own most trusted subordinates to take care of Level E's in town and how vigilantly he watched over his own Night Class students to make sure they didn't act out or bite the humans at the academy.

Zero helped Yuya up by the elbow, grip firm. "Kuran, he – he can help."

The teen only began to struggle against him, however, and Zero feared that already he had begun to lose himself to the bloodlust once more. He yanked himself out of the hunter's grip, blue eyes looking up at him in fear and horror. "Kuran Kaname?" The teen whispered the name with a shake of his head. "N-no.. No – he can't help me."

" _Why not_?" Zero asked, voice cracking despite his efforts to keep it calm. Kuran could feed him, _stabilize_ him as he had with Zero. It was a stretch, but it was the only hope they had.

Yuya, however, was having none of it. He was visibly shaken as he looked up at the hunter, blue eyes wide and fearful, the red of bloodlust tinging its edges. "Kuran-senpai.. H-he's the one that bit me."

-.-.-

 **Aaand we have the end of the first chapter/prologue. There is so much more to come, because I have _plans_ for these two. Also, I apologize for the random OC, he's really only relevant for this chapter for obvious plot reasons. **

**This is going to be the first legit multi-chapter fic (and hopefully the start of a series) for this fandom that I've done and I'm very excited for it! I hope you guys will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! As you can tell, the tone is not as light-hearted as my other Kaname/Zero fics that I've posted, but these two need their angst. I just hope I did it alright.**

 **The name of the fic comes from the song Blood on my Name by the Brothers Bright and the chapter title comes from the song O' Death by Jen Titus. I like to name all of my titles and chapters of multi-chapter fic off of songs/music so that by the end it, you can have a nice little playlist to listen to that fits the story and sets the mood for each chapter.**

 **Anyways, let me know what you guys think! Your reviews mean the world to me, honestly. And if you noticed any mistakes or errors, feel free to point them out as I can easily miss them myself when I spend so much time staring at the same words over and over. The next chapter of Hooked on a Feeling will be coming up soon as well, so look forward to that.**


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